ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

When we speak of "Alternative Medicine" the questions immediately arises "alternative to what?" What we generally mean, of course, is alternative to, or other than, medicines or medical practices outside of those approved by the American Medical Association or governmental agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration.

Quite naturally we all have a tendency to believe, or to want to believe, that those practices that are approved by the medical establishment as we know it are best and safest for us. Most of the time this is probably the case. However, we also need to realize that the medical establishment can be slow to respond to what appear to be different ways of doing things, even if the benefits of those ways can be well documented, or if the ways have been practiced for a long, long time. Over the years many things that were considered "folk medicine" or "junk science" have come to be accepted as sound medical practice. Acupuncture, for instance, used in Asia for centuries, is only now being accepted as common practice in the West.

Today, many practices such as Reiki treatment (an ancient Asian practice characterized by the use of therapeutic touch), natural (or homeopathic) medicines, acupuncture and acupressure and even prayer itself are just a few of the alternative methods now receiving more acceptance in the treatment of disease. Such methods are often used in conjunction with mainstream medical practice. When this happens it is usually referred to as complementary medicine.

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